Broom-clasp



(Mode1.)

M. O. EIOHHORN.

BROOM CLASP. No. 392,791. Patented Nov. 13. 1888.-

UNITED STATES arnnr tries.

MARY o. nionnonn, or BROOKLIN'E, MASSACHUSETTS.

BRCOIVHCLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,791, dated November 13, 1888.

Application filed March 16, 1888. Serial No. 267,290. (Model) T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARY O. Ercnnonn, of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Broom Olasps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the provision of means capable of ready application to a broom which shall serve to maintain the straws of the broom in compact and proper form and keep those on the outside and edges of the broom from straggling and from being broken off when in use.

It is a common thing for a careful housewife before beginning the use of a new broom to sew a broad band around the body of the broom below the line where the straws are stitched together and to the head, for the purpose of keeping the straws in proper form and stiffening the body of the broom.

My improvement is designed to take the place of such band, and is so constructed as that it may be readily applied to the broom and better subserve the purpose of maintaining it in proper form, while it is at the same time of low cost and may be taken from a wornout broom and applied to and used on others.

My invention consists of a rod or bar provided with numerous laterallyextending teeth or tines along its entire length and withshort transverse bars on its ends, which rod is arranged in the body of the broom, so as to extend therethrough from edge to edge thereof, combined with a band extending around the broom and over the transverse bars on the body of the main bar, all as I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this'speciiication, the same letters designating the same parts, in which drawings- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a broom having my improvement applied thereto, the upper part of the handle being represented as broken off. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the broom shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bar provided with laterally-extended teeth or tines adapted to be arranged in the body of the broom.

In the drawings, a designates a rod or bar provided at intervals along its entire length withlaterally-extending teeth or tines b c, and on the ends with short transverse bars d, provided on the ends with knobs or similar contrivances, c. This rod a is adapted to be placed in the body of the broom f, and is of such length as to extend therethrough from edge to edge, as represented in Fig. 2, so that an elastic band or strap, 9, may be stretched over the transverse bars d on the ends of the rod a and around the body of the broom, as indicated in Fig. 1, and so confine or bind and hold the straws of the broom-body together and in proper form, preventing the straws from spreading and straggling and being broken off and the broom from becoming misshapen and practically useless. The tines or teeth I) eX- tend out through the straws of the broom to the band and so serve to keep the straws in place and evenly distributed throughout the width of the broom. Should the red at happen to turn in the broom, the tines or teeth 0 will be brought into position to serve the purpose of the teeth b. As the turning of the rod a is not likely to happen when the band or strap 9 is in proper position, it is obvious that the tines or teeth 0 on the rod a may be dispensed with. The knobs e on the end of the transverse bars 61 serve to keep the band or strap 9 in proper position on said bar.

The straws of the broom-body may be readily separated by means of a slender stick or rod, so as to place the contrivance shown in Fig. 3 in position in the broom, when theband or strap 5/ may be placed in position around the bodyof the broom and over the transverse bars d, thus enabling a housewife or any one possessed of the most ordinary skill to apply the device to or remove it from a broom. Where it is applied in the course of manufacturing the broom, the ends of the rod a may be connected with the head or base of the handle h by means of brace rods or wires a, as shown in Fig. 2. This construction serves to keep the rod a in position in the broom and prevent it from turning therein.

It is to be observed that my improvementis separate and distinct from devices comprising the head and employed in the manufacture of the broom, and subserves a purpose different and distinct from such devices, myimprovement being detaehably secured in the body of the broom below the head, and serving while the straws of the broom are long,as when it is new, to keepthem in properposition and prevent the straws from spreading or strugglin g, as they have a tendency to do when some such ap plianee as myimproved device is not employed. WVhen the straws become short through wear, the rod a and band 9 may readily be removed and laid by for reuse in the next new broom.

YVhat I claim is 1. A device for maintaining the straws composing the body of abroom in proper position, consisting of a rod or bar adapted to extend through the broom from side to side and provided with projections to engage the straws of the broom, andmeans for clamping or binding the straws upon the rod or bar, as set forth.

2. The eon1binati0n,with the rod or bar a,

provided with laterally-extending teeth or 'tines and having on the ends the transverse M ARY (1. EIGHHORN. V

\Vituesses:

A. D. HARrusoN, O. F. BROWN. 

